Obbligazione Hyundai Capital America 4,125% 2023-06 USD 144A - investopoli.com
Rating Action:
Moody's affirms Baa1 and P-2 ratings for Hyundai Capital America with a stable outlook
30 Jan 2017
New York, January 30, 2017 -- Moody's Investors Service affirmed the Baa1 and Prime-2 ratings of Hyundai Capital America (HCA), the U.S. auto finance subsidiary of Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Company (Baa1, stable). The outlook for Hyundai Capital America's ratings is stable.
Issuer: Hyundai Capital America
..Affirmations:
....Issuer Rating, Affirmed Baa1, Stable
....Commercial Paper, Affirmed P-2
....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture, Affirmed Baa1, Stable
....Senior Unsecured Medium-Term Note Program, Affirmed (P)Baa1
....Backed Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture, Affirmed Baa1, Stable
..Outlook Actions:
....Outlook, Remains Stable
RATINGS RATIONALE
Moody's affirmation of HCA's ratings is due to continued strong parental support. HCA benefits from its strategic importance to Hyundai Motor Company, and its support is formalized through a strong support agreement that, though not a guarantee, includes quantifiable measures of maintenance. The credit support agreement requires 100% ownership maintenance, minimum tangible net worth and fixed charge coverage maintenance. Therefore, HCA's ratings are equivalent to Hyundai's.
At the same time, however, Moody's downgraded its assessment of HCA's stand-alone credit profile, which is an input into its credit ratings, to mid-B from its prior high-B position. The reduction in the stand-alone credit profile is due to increasing losses in HCA's retail portfolio above historical averages, a multi-year increase in HCA's lease portfolio resulting in considerable residual value exposure in the face of a softening used car market, and relatively high leverage.
Portfolio charge-offs for retail loans have reached 1.6% as of 30 September 2016 for HCA versus a historical average closer to 1.2%. This has negatively impacted profitability resulting in net income to average managed assets of 0.28%, considerably lower than HCA's historical average of 0.60%. HCA recently tightened its underwriting but we expect losses and delinquencies to remain elevated as it will take several quarters for losses from its weaker underwriting period to season and charge off.
The growth in the lease portfolio has been significant over the last several years. HCA's 49% operating lease assets as a percentage of loans and leases is one of the highest exposures to leasing among the auto captives. This too will continue to weigh on profitability given softness in used car prices depressing residual values and leading to accelerated depreciation and/or impairments. We estimate that HCA's lease residual value exposure as a percentage of tangible common equity was 381% as of 31 December 2015 (the last date information is available), up from 326% as of 31 December2013. HCA's lease residual value exposure has likely trended upward since year-end 2015.
Effective leverage, total debt as a multiple of tangible common equity, for HCA is at a multi-year high at 11.5 as of 30 September 2016 and is considerably higher than other auto captive finance companies. HCA's correspondingly low 7.1% tangible common equity as a percentage of tangible managed assets provides limited loss absorbing capacity, particularly given its large lease portfolio. In the past, HCA has had a history of capital injections from Hyundai to strategically manage leverage.
HCA could be upgraded if Hyundai's ratings are upgraded.
A downgrade of Hyundai or deterioration of parental support would result in a downgrade of HCA's ratings.